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The Convention People’s Party (CPP), through its General Secretary, has been rebutting President Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address delivered on March 9, 2021.
In a statement signed by Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah, the General Secretary, the party described the address as illusory because it does not reflect Ghana’s reality.
“The Conventions Peoples Party would like to put on record that in its view, the state of our dear nation is in total disarray. The address by the President on Tuesday the 9th of March 2021 on the Floor of Parliament failed to state in clear terms the exact state of our beloved nation Ghana, but rather a repetition and recycled unfulfilled campaign promises,” the statement read.
Alluding to some of the challenges of the country, the party argued for instance that should Ghana’s fiscal situation i.e. the debt stock be examined which according to them the President evaded in his address, it would be realised that promises by President Akufo-Addo to improve on infrastructural development in the country will not be fulfilled.
“The President failed to expatiate and address our ballooning national debt currently standing at approximately a whooping two hundred and ninety – seven billion Ghana Cedis (297.00 billion Ghana Cedis) which represents close to 78% of our Gross Domestic Product(GDP).”
“This fact alone is worrying because our true fiscal situation means that all the NPP so called promises of projects and infrastructural developments are all rhetoric and cannot be done. It has come to the fore that this debt stock increased from One Hundred and Twenty Billion Ghana Cedis to present state,” the statement said.
The party also rebutted the President’s notion about food shortage in the country.
It said: “The Party’s research has also revealed a contrary view by the President that there was no food shortage in the Year under review.”
“On the contrary it came to the fore that the country was dependent on the importation of food, agricultural product (rice maize tomatoes), and poultry products (chicken) to supplement local production. In the year 2020 there was a massive shortage of maize, tomatoes and basic food Items in the country.”
Beyond these, the CPP expressed some disappointments in the President on issues regarding one constituency one million Ghana cedis policy and corruption.
With respect to the former, the CPP “believes that the President could have told the nation how the campaign promise of One Million Ghana Cedis per Constituency is being implemented and how the money (Task Payers) has been utilised.”
On corruption, It said: “The CPP is also highly disappointed and dismayed that the President in his address did not touch on the issue of corruption and did not give any clear roadmap and commitment to fighting this menace and canker.”
The party therefore hopes that it would be given the mandate to manage the affairs of the country to transform the economy and improve upon lives in coming elections.
